Being
a rather spread out town, located on the road to Sheki,
just after
Shemakha, Ismailly surprises
the foreign visitor for the vast woods surrounding it, not quite the stereotype
landscape you grow to expect of Azerbaijan or the southern Caucasus in
general!

Ismailly is the main town of a large rayon
that confines to the north with the Quba rayon.
It is essentially an agricultural area that's has seen its best days long
gone, as derelict farms attest. In a unique phenomenon in Azerbaijan a
Kolkhoz still survives, run by Molokan Russians in the village of Ivanovka
- visit it if you want to get a sample of Soviet rural life. The population
is very diverse, besides the Molokan Russians there are Lezghins, Jews,
Lahidzhi (Farsi-speaking) and Khapiti (descendants of ancient Albans).

The people here retain their dedication
to ancient crafts. Carpet weaving remains strong (Galadzhig and Tezekend
villages), as does the production of copper-ware, tannery, metal engraving...

By
no means allow some of the grey Soviet buildings in Ismailly's town centre
discourage you from visiting ot staying a while. The nearby area is quite
rich in historic heritage and breathtaking landscapes, inviting for long
walks.

In the centre near the town hall and the
cinema
there
is a hotel with air conditioning, and a motel in the northern
end of the town, by the canal. The bus station is in the southern
part of the town, there are regular lines to Baku and Sheki. There is a
Regional Historical Museum on Azerbaijan H. Aliyev Avenue.

Among
the most interesting buildings in the Ismailly area should be mentioned:
north-east of Ismailly the 7th Javanshir fortress near the village of Talystan
(you
must climb 7km on foot!); the very derelict 11th century 'Maiden's tower'
in the village of Khanega near the Akhokh river; the mosque and
Turkish-baths in the village of Baskal; the Girdman fortress, close
to the settlement of Lahic / Lagich
and the mosque at the same settlement, as well as the Fitag fortress near
the village of Sulut.